The Youth Ministry Trust (YMT) is inspired by the vision that ‘the young should be the first apostles of the young, in direct contact with them, exercising the apostolate by themselves, among themselves, taking account of their social environment.’ Motivated by this ideal, we aim to encourage young people into a relationship with Christ and fully into the life of the Church.

At the heart of YMT is an international community based at the Emmaus Village rooted in faith and prayer and active in youth ministry. All members of the community (staff, gap year team, volunteers, Directors and other associates) strive to fulfil their roles to the highest standards in service of YMT’s mission. This means that Christ-like values such as unconditional love, joy, courage, perseverance and service of the poor are characteristic of the spirit of YMT and will be evident throughout our community. To nurture these values, a specifically designated chapel will be maintained at the Emmaus Village so that community members can have a conducive environment in which to pray.

Each year we will bring together a ‘gap year’ team of young adults from across the world to engage in a structured programme of community living, faith formation and skills training. We will equip the team to be able to present the Gospel in creative ways which engage young people through school missions, retreats, area development and outreach events.

Our organisational infrastructure will also reflect the spirit of YMT. It will be clear how each role in our staffing structure supports YMT’s mission. Similarly, finance, fundraising and budget decisions will aim to support youth ministry priorities identified in the annual business plan. Policies and procedures will comply with diocesan and legislative requirements but also reflect the Gospel values on which YMT is founded. In particular, we will strive to ensure that young people from deprived economic backgrounds have equal access to all that YMT provides.

As the youth service for the Diocese of Hexham and Newcastle, YMT supports youth initiatives across the diocese by providing resources and training for all those involved in youth ministry. For this reason, we maintain positive working relationships with all diocesan departments, schools, families, parishes, Partnerships and other organisations regarding youth ministry. At a national level, we will seek to share good practice with other youth services throughout the country and play an active role in CYMFED.

As the home of the YMT community and many YMT activities, we will strive to ensure that the Emmaus Village creates a warm welcome for every guest, offers healing for those who are troubled and inspiration for those who need a new perspective. The spirit of YMT calls us to witness joy to our visitors as we celebrate the fullness of life to which we are all called (John 10:10).